WINNIPEG, MB, Jun. 19, 2009 (Resource News International) -- The following is
a quick look at some of the sports headlines across Canada.
LAFLEUR GIVEN FINE, SUSPENDED SENTENCE
MONTREAL - Hockey legend Guy Lafleur didn't flinch as a judge
handed him a suspended sentence on Thursday for giving
contradictory testimony in an attempt to help his son nearly two
years ago.
The former Montreal Canadiens sniper, no stranger to
pressure-packed situations, remained stoic as Quebec court Judge
Claude Parent read the sentence, which means Lafleur now has a
criminal record.
Parent said he couldn't conclude Lafleur acted deliberately in
giving the contradictory testimony at his son Mark's bail hearing
in 2007.
But that didn't matter, he ruled.
"Nothing justifies or excuses his actions," the judge said in
giving Lafleur a one-year suspended sentence and a $100 fine and
ordering him to donate $10,000 to a foundation for a rehab centre
for youth.
Lafleur did not speak to reporters, while his lawyer,
Jean-Pierre Rancourt, said he had no comment because he is
appealing the guilty verdict Parent handed down May 1.
The appeal motion argues the judge made an error in law and
that a false declaration must be made with the intent to mislead
instead of what his lawyer argues was an inadvertent omission in
Lafleur's case.
The Quebec Court of Appeal will hear the case later this year.
Lafleur's problems started after he told his son's bail
hearing in September 2007 that Mark always respected his
court-ordered curfew and never consumed drugs and alcohol on his
watch.
At the time, the hockey star had agreed to supervise his son
and ensure he abided by court orders.
But during another court hearing just a month later, court
heard the elder Lafleur drove his son to a hotel for an intimate
encounter with his 16-year-old girlfriend on two occasions.
Lafleur said his son told him his curfew did not extend to any
particular location which is why he allowed the trysts. He argued
as much during his own trial, testifying the hotel visits had
slipped his mind.
He insisted over and over that his son abided by the curfew
and other rules while at the hotel.
The Hockey Hall of Famer has also filed a $3.5-million civil
lawsuit against the Montreal police and the Crown over the warrant
used to arrest him in early 2008.
